Weekly Green: June 1, 2012

Hello and good afternoon all. In this week's headlines:

Top of the Ticket

Check out and share CLCV’s endorsements for the Tuesday, June 5th Primary Election:
http://www.ecovote.org/page/endorsements
...and a few voting tips for Election Day: http://www.ecovote.org/blog/few-voting-tips-election-day-approaches

The New Cap & Trade Battlefront: How to Spend the Revenues
Since the enactment of AB 32 in 2006, California’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction law, analysts have speculated about how to spend the money generated from the law’s cap-and-trade carbon allowance auctions, the first of which is set for this November. On Tuesday, the State Assembly passed new legislation, AB 1532, that narrowed the options.
http://blogs.kqed.org/climatewatch/2012/05/30/the-new-cap-trade-battlefront-how-to-spend-the-revenues/

Advocates continue battle against flame-retardant chemicals
After years of failed attempts to regulate flame-retardant chemicals linked to mounting evidence of harm, state legislators and consumer advocates are gearing up to take another look at the risks and benefits.
http://californiawatch.org/dailyreport/advocates-continue-battle-against-flame-retardant-chemicals-16355

Assembly approves Huffman bill to fund parks
Legislation sponsored by Assemblyman Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, to create new funding sources for state parks and limit the California Department of Parks and Recreation's authority to close them has passed the Assembly.
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20120530/ARTICLES/120539961

California Senate rejects 'fracking' legislation
The California Senate on Wednesday rejected a bill that would have required energy firms to notify property owners before using hydraulic fracturing to tap oil deposits on or near their land.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2012/05/california-senate-rejects-fracking-legislation.html

California Environmental News

Lawmakers work together to keep state parks open
California lawmakers have a hard time agreeing on most budget matters, but the effort to keep state parks open is encouraging rare bipartisan deal-making.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2012/05/27/state/n100122D69.DTL

Ex-Caltrans chief tapped to lead high-speed rail project
With no time to spare, California's high-speed rail agency on Tuesday promoted its lead consultant to CEO, choosing a politically savvy veteran to lead the final push to win over lawmakers and the public.
http://www.mercurynews.com/california-high-speed-rail/ci_20734149/ex-caltrans-chief-tapped-lead-high-speed-rail

Kehoe drops copper-based boat paint bill
State Sen. Christine Kehoe has shelved her hard-fought legislation aimed at forcing boat owners to stop using copper-based paints believed to be a troubling source of pollution in the San Diego Bay and congested marinas all along California’s coast.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/may/30/kehoe-backs-away-from-limits-on-copper-based-boat/

Marin schoolkids want Crayola to go green
An online petition effort, begun in mid-April, generated more than 60,000 signatures within the first month, making it the most popular environmental petition on Change.org this month and the eighth top environmental cause of all time.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/05/30/BAHV1OMM0M.DTL&type=green

Activists gather for Chevron shareholders meeting
For activists drawn to the meeting from around the world, it's a chance to confront a company they say has poisoned their land, water and air.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/05/30/BU2M1OP404.DTL&type=green

State postpones launch of Malibu Lagoon restoration project
A California State Parks official said Friday that the agency would postpone the start of its Malibu Lagoon restoration project until Monday, partly to avoid interfering with a surfing benefit event Saturday at Surfrider Beach.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/06/state-postpones-launch-of-malibu-lagoon-restoration-project.html

California passes tougher energy code for new construction
The California Energy Commission on Thursday approved what it called nation-leading efficiency standards for new homes and commercial buildings.
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/06/01/4529992/california-passes-tougher-energy.html

Report: Nuclear plant operators haven't reassessed quake risk
PG&E and Southern California Edison, operators of California's two nuclear power reactors, haven't done a comprehensive risk assessment of their plants' vulnerabilities to earthquakes for nearly two decades, according to a Government Accountability Office report released yesterday.
http://www.baycitizen.org/energy/story/nuclear-plant-operators-havent-quake/

Inland Empire builders incorporate energy savings into sales pitches
Solar panels, added insulation and other energy efficient features are some of the tools builders are employing to attract buyers to Inland Empire communities where many distressed properties continue to surround new homes. The "green" features are usually not enough on their own to attract buyers, but the prospect of lower electric, gas and water bills can be an important part of the final sales pitch, builders said.
http://www.sbsun.com/news/ci_20723028

California Politics

Prop 28 and the mixed bag of term limits in California
On June 5, voters will get a chance to tweak California’s term limits law.
http://www.scpr.org/news/2012/06/01/32630/term-limits-mixed-bag-california/

Environmentalists and Consumer Attorneys Fund Campaign Against Joel Young
Two progressive political groups — one representing environmentalists, and the other, consumer attorneys — are funding an expensive and hard-hitting campaign against East Bay Assembly candidate Joel Young.
http://www.eastbayexpress.com/92510/archives/2012/05/30/environmentalists-and-consumer-attorneys-fund-campaign-against-joel-young

Jared Huffman collects support in liberal district
As he runs for Congress in one of the most liberal districts in the country, Assemblyman Jared Huffman of San Rafael boasts about his ability to "get things done" as a Democratic legislator, touting four dozen pieces of legislation he's authored in six years in Sacramento and his former career as an attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/06/01/BATS1OQG9L.DTL

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